Worth Fighting For
by AnonIsland
Summary: Mathias Kohler is a rough arrogant Danish soldier, who wants nothing but power and victory for his side. But when he is assigned to guard and get information from a particular Norse spy, he gets more than what he bargained for. His life on the line and his loyalties tested, Mathias is caught between his heart and his duty. But in the end, he can fulfill only one.
1. Chapter 1

**NOTE: Anything, and maybe everything, written here is purely fictional and created through this indecisive author's imagination, though it is based on some historical facts, such as the names of the two sides in the war. However, the war itself is simply the work of the author and should not be mistaken for fact.**

**Thank you~**

* * *

The prisoner was taken in today.

When Mathias first got a glimpse of him, while passing by the hallway through which the prisoner had been taken in, he hadn't looked like much. He looked clearly disheveled, full of bruises, bloody gashes, and other wounds. He wore the enemy's uniform and blood was dripping freely from one side of his head from a wound which his captors had obviously not bothered to bandage. A dirty white blindfold covered his eyes and both his hands were bound by a length of rough rope.

There was something odd about the prisoner from the first time Mathias saw him. It wasn't only the fact that the Dane had heard rumors that he was the best spy the opposite side had, or the fact that, despite being captured, he had a book with him, tucked away under his arm.

It was the fact that he was silent. In fact, too silent. Most prisoners would have screamed, begged, yelled, thrashed around, sobbed and generally be really noisy when they were brought in, but this one barely made a sound as his two captors led him through the dim hallway of the military camp. He kept his head, with its crop of neat light blonde hair and stray curl, bent low and his gait suggested that he was trying not to draw too much attention to himself. But Mathias couldn't see why he was doing this. He already drew much attention to himself as an enemy spy without trying.

One of the spy's captors looked up and spotted Mathias and the latter immediately recognized him as Alfred Jones, a loud and rather rambunctious man who apparently had a hero complex. Alfred grinned and waved at the Dane. "Hey, Mathias!"

"Yo~!" Mathias grinned and waved back at him. His attention went to the spy's other captor, a man with messy blonde hair, green eyes and very prominent eyebrows. Arthur Kirkland. Alfred's senior.

"So" Mathias turned back to look at Alfred, but his eyes couldn't help flitting over to the spy. He didn't show it, but Mathias could tell he was listening. "Another new prisoner?"

"Yup~!" Alfred gave him a thumbs-up. "Caught him all on my own, didn't I, Artie?" He grinned at Arthur, who returned it with a scowl and retorted, "Like you bloody well did, you git!"

Alfred laughed at this. "Anyways, what's been goin' on in the fort, dude?" he addressed Mathias.

"Oh" Mathias lifted his right hand, in which he held a sealed brown envelope. "Ya know...errands for Berwald..." This being said, Mathias suddenly remembered why he had been passing by this hallway in the first place. He really should be going on now...

"Ohh." Alfred nodded his head. Arthur sighed and grabbed Alfred by the shirt sleeve. "We're wasting time here. We must get going. There's a spy here who needs imprisoning." He shook the spy's arm roughly. The spy submitted to the action and shook with the Brit's hand but he made no sound as he did so. "Oh. Right." Alfred said and took the spy's other arm. "Catch you later, Matt!" He said to Mathias as they passed him and Mathias watched them go down the hallway with the prisoner in between them.

Mathias sighed and stared down at the brown envelope still in his hand. He sighed again and walked back the way he came from.

* * *

The war had been going on for more than 15 years now.

Nobody has really known how it started, nor who started it or why, but it had started all the same and soon people and countries were taking sides, all threatened and endangered by the promise of a long, bloody war.

At first, it had been the enemy side, the Nordics, who were consistently winning the numerous battles but slowly and surely, the side of the Kalmars began to gain the lead until the Nordics were soon losing their winning streak and the Kalmars had gained the upper-hand.

Slowly, it soon became clear that the war fought between these two sides, the Kalmars and the Nordics, was a war of territory and power. Put in simpler terms, it was a war fought by two different empires on who gained a certain territory.

But as time went by, and many more battles between the Kalmars and the Nordics ensued, the armies of each side were starting to diminish and it was soon concluded that they needed more men. So each side started recruiting. But they didn't only recruit young men eligible for the battlefield. They recruited young boys above 8 as well. But the Kalmars went beyond that. A shady government association began to form, centered on the recruitment of orphan boys for the army. Boys who lost their families, boys abandoned by their families, boys living off the streets, boys who looked miserable and desperate, boys who looked like they wouldn't last long.

Boys like Mathias Kohler.

Mathias had only been 4 when he lost his father in a previous war. His mother, due to the grief this loss caused her, followed shortly afterward. Ever since then, Mathias had been living in an orphanage. But the orphanage had been so terrible, so horrid to the young Mathias that, after only staying there for 2 days, he had run away. Ever since then, he had been living in the streets, trying to do whatever he can to survive the cruel conditions of the city.

He had only been 10 when the Kalmar-Nordic war started and 12 when he was first recruited by the dark recruitment association known as the Knights.

Mathias had never expected it when, while trying to find a small alley to spend the night in, two men had suddenly appeared, captured and taken him to an old warehouse where he had been assessed and examined in every way possible, to see if he was fit for the army. Then he had been made to spend the night in a dark closet, which had been his worst nightmare, even until now. He had been found in the morning, curled up in the floor, the vestiges of tears still in his eyes.

Soon after that, he had been forced to fight another boy, another new recruit, until one had died and only one was left standing. Of course he had been appalled by the idea of killing another boy. But he still did so. What other choice did he have?

And after that incident, something had changed within the Dane. Somehow, the sight of the boy's dead and bloody body at his feet and knowing that he had done it, knowing that it was he who had plunged the knife into his chest, knowing that if it wasn't for him, this wouldn't have happened, it had all made Mathias realize something, discover something about himself that he had never known before. It was like finding something that had been hidden in your room for a long time and you hadn't even known about it.

Mathias wanted power.

He wanted superiority. He wanted to feel like he was above others, like he had power over them.

And after that realization, Mathias knew what he wanted to do.

He wanted to fight in the war. And continuing on with the Knight's cruel training was the only way he could do so.

It was hard, yes. It was painful, yes. It tested his morality and sanity, yes. But Mathias still didn't give up. The thought of being able to make a difference in the war and fight in it was the only thing keeping him going, and so it did.

And then finally, at the age of 18, Mathias completed the Knight's training and was sent to the very military camp where we first find him.

His first days in the military camp were easy to say the least. But compared to everything that he had to endure in the Knight's training center, life in the camp was practically luxurious. Even on his first few days there, Mathias had gained instant recognition and respect from the men and even from the stoic and tough Berwald. Because of his skill in handling an axe and his focus and determination when faced with an enemy on the battlefield, Mathias was promoted to a higher rank faster than all the other new recruits and word had even got around that he had become the boss' new favorite, though nobody could be so sure, as nobody hadn't even seen the so-called 'Boss' face-to-face, much less talked to him about personal things.

Even the Nordics, who were famed for their tough exterior, skill, and calmness even when faced with an enemy in the battlefield, feared him and avoided facing off with him as much as they can.

Basically, Mathias had been a force to be reckoned with.

And it was all worth it.

Because he knew where this war was going.

The Nordics would be forced to their knees, the Kalmars would gain victory, and he, Mathias Kohler, the pathetic orphan boy who had been beaten up numerous times on the street, would give it to them.

* * *

"You wanted to see me, sir?"

Mathias stood in the half-open doorway, wondering if he should enter or not. The man he was addressing sat in his high-backed chair, looking away from him and facing the large window behind his desk. Long rays of dark orange sunlight provided the only light in the small dim room.

"Is that you, Kohler?" The man behind the chair said in a deep voice with a tone that boasted of authority.

"Yes, sir." The Dane stepped into the room and closed the door softly behind me. He stood there uneasily, his posture straight, his hands behind his back, just as he had been taught.

There was a long pause before the man spoke. "How has everything been going?"

Mathias looked up, clearly not expecting this question. "Sir...things have been going fine." He tried. He paused, but the man didn't speak, clearly a signal that he should continue. "The attacks by the Nordics on this base and many others have lessened and we believe that the they are starting to weaken."

There was another long, tantalizing pause. "Good."

A long silence followed in which nothing could be heard but the sound of the ceiling fan and the distant calling of birds as the sun was starting to set.

"You were from one of those Knight orphanages, weren't you, Kohler?"

Mathias suddenly turned stiff, a surprised look momentarily passing over his features. Then he set his jaw and said, "Yes, sir."

"Then I'm sure you're familiar with the training they put you through?"

"Yes, sir..." Mathias said softly.

"And why?"

"...Yes, sir..."

"And has that training been useful to you so far, Kohler?"

Mathias frowned. Where was this conversation going? "Yes, sir. Very much, sir."

The man let out a snort, as if he doubted this. "Then, did they teach you how to get information from an enemy?"

Mathias stiffened again. As far as he can remember, all that the soldiers in the Knight orphanage where he had been sent to had taught him was how to fight, how to handle a weapon and how to use that weapon to strike down an enemy. How to defend yourself, how to gain the upper-hand in a fight and such. But never how to get information from an enemy. What use was the information in a fight, anyway?

"Well?" The man said.

"N-No, sir..." Mathias replied, staring down at the floor.

"Well then." The man said with something of an amused chuckle in his tone. "It's about time you learned, don't you think?"

Mathias looked up. "Sir?"

The man only said, "I have a new assignment for you, Kohler."

The Dane frowned. A new assignment? Oh what could it be?

"I assume you know about the Nordic spy that Jones and Kirkland caught just a while ago?"

Mathias' frown grew deeper as he remembered the strangeness of the spy. "Yes, sir."

"Then, I want you to guard him. And as you do so, I want you get as much information from him as possible. Do you understand?"

Mathias was surprised to say the least. He was going to guard some enemy spy to get some information from him? He had never done such a thing before, and the man knew that. This could only mean that the man was trying to test him. Test him and his wits.

Well then, if that's what he wants, then Mathias wasn't about to let him win.

"Yes, sir. Understood, sir." He said with a stiff bow.

"You may start immediately." The man said. "You are dismissed."

With another stiff bow, Mathias walked out of the room. He hadn't realized it but he had been sweating all throughout his conversation with the man. He had that kind of effect on his soldiers.

Mathias walked briskly down the hall, in no particular direction and only when he had reached the main hall did he realize that he had failed to give the man the envelope from Berwald.

* * *

"But he barely speaks, dude! How do you expect to get ANY information from the guy?!"

Mathias shrugged his shoulders as he descended the creaky wooden steps to the dungeon below. "I've gotta try, right?" He said to Alfred, with his usual air of confidence and arrogance. But he screwed his face as the musty smell of snake-oil met his nostrils. He had always hated that smell. Before this place had been a military camp, it had been the ruins of a long-decayed castle. But the dungeons were kept intact for prisoners. But Mathias couldn't stand it.

The thought of spending hours, maybe even days, surrounded by the horrid smell of snake oil was enough to make Mathias wish he hadn't been assigned to this assignment.

But! Duties were duties.

"Still!" Alfred followed closely behind him as Mathias made his way down the long, dim hallway. "Do you even know what kind of information you're supposed to get from him?"

"Simple." The Dane grinned over his shoulder at the American. "Information about their strategies, bases, and about what their planning for the war, of course."

Alfred was silent for a moment as he and Mathias made their way along the hallway. "Which is his cell again?" Mathias asked Alfred.

"Cell number 13." Alfred replied simply. Mathias nodded his head and turned right toward another hallway, this one dimmer and longer than the last. He advanced 4 cells on the left side until he finally stopped in front of one and peered into the interior. The call was shrouded in shadows but for a small ray of light which illuminated a man, sitting on the floor, leaning against the right wall and with his back to them. He neither moved nor made a sound as Mathias rapped loudly on the bars of the cell and said, "Yo~! Nordic spy!"

The Dane stepped closer to the cell. "You don't look like much. You sure you're one of the best spies the Nordics got?" He broke out in gales of laughter and leaned his back against the bars of the cell, his arms crossed over his chest. He turned to Alfred, "You go ahead. I've got this covered." The American didn't look reassured but he simply shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well, it's your problem now. See you later."

Mathias watched him walk away before sidling down to the floor and saying, "So, if you're the Nordic's best spy, then why did you get caught?"

The reply was so immediate that the Dane was almost surprised to hear the cold voice which answered, "If you're trying to get information from me, then your efforts are fruitless."

Mathias laughed, "Oh so we've got a difficult one here? This gonna be good!" After which followed silence.

"All right" Mathias finally said. "What's your name?"

"Like I'd tell you." The man replied coldly. Mathias grinned, "Aw come on! Here, my name's Mathias. Now it's your turn." The Dane turned around to face the cell and was surprised to find that the spy was facing him. The spy had a pair of dark blue, almost violet, eyes which stared coldly at him. But amid that coldness, the Dane could see something else. There was a sadness in them too. A sadness...and a longing. For what, Mathias could only guess.

For a long moment, the two sat there, staring at each other, then the spy closed his eyes, sighed and said, "Lukas."

Mathias raised his eyebrows. "Lukas?" He grinned, "Well that's a funny name."

Lukas opened his eyes and frowned at the Dane. "I'll have you know that Lukas is actually quite a good name where I come from." Mathias grinned, "Sadly, you're not in your hometown now, so I suggest that you get comfy."

Lukas looked away from him with a look of disdain on his face. "You Kalmars...Not satisfied with your own plot of big land are you? Had to go for much bigger territory, had to conquer everything, had to HAVE everything." He fixed him with a long, hard gaze. "You disgust me."

Mathias frowned,"Hey now, that's a little rude considering that we've only known each other for less than a minute now."

Lukas only stared back at him with his cold look before saying, "You better leave now. You can't get information from me that easily."

Mathias scowled determinedly at him, "What if I don't?"

"Then you're wasting your time." Lukas replied simply. He got up, walked to the end of the cell and lay down there with his back to the Dane. Moments later, he was asleep.

Mathias sighed and leaned against the bars of the cell.

Getting information from an enemy was harder than he thought it would be.

* * *

**Aah, DenNor, how I love you~ XDD. Anyways, this concept was originally made to be a USUK, but after I read a few DeNor fics, well, I decided that this would fit them just nicely ^^. **

**And because I think this needs some explaining...**

******In real history, the Kalmar Union was when all the Nordic states were united under a single monarch. The Union included Denmark, Sweden, Finland (under Sweden), Norway, Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands (the last three were, then, under Norway). ****In my story, the side of the Kalmars are the Danish and the Swedes while the Nordics are the Norse and the Icelandic people. The Kalmars are an empire here (sometimes I refer to the Union as the Kalmar Empire) led by the Danish while the Nordics are a rebel group in Norway (where most of the battles takes place) who are against the Kalmars taking their land, and are led by the Norse. Most of it is just historic gibberish that I made up anyway ^^ but I hope the idea is presented clearly here.**

**Thank you for reading and I enjoy reviews very much**

**~Anon~**


	2. Chapter 2

_"What are you looking at, you pathetic little wimp?!"_

_Mathias' back slammed against the brick wall and he could taste the metallic flavor of blood in his mouth. Fatigue settled over him as he sidled to the ground, the bruises and wounds on his body aching, cruel laughter ringing in his ears. _

_Tears stung the boy's eyes as he looked up and out at the small sliver of sky which could be seen between the edges of the two houses on either side of the alley. It was just turning a deep orange color as the sun was about to set. Clouds tinted red and orange skidded across it and Mathias yearned for nothing more right now than to fly through that sky, fly through it and just get away from here. Away from them...Away from everything..._

_He heard them mocking him again. Probably because he was crying. But their voices were oddly muted. All the boy wanted to do was lie here and cover his ears from their mocking voices. Just shrink into a ball and not come out until they were gone. Until everything was gone._

_A hand grabbed Mathias by the collar and pulled him up roughly, so his feet hung inches above the ground. Although he was right in front of him, Mathias couldn't properly make out the face of the boy. His eyes felt heavy and he wanted nothing more than to close them. Close them against anything, everything, that was wrong with his life. _

_"Do you hear me, you dumb bastard?! _

_A hard fist connected with Mathias' stomach and he doubled over, clutching his stomach, coughing out blood. All he could hear was the raceous laughter. That laughter which he despised yet feared at the same time..._

_More punches followed after the first and all the boy could feel was pain...A numbing pain that unabled him to move any part of his body. _

_He couldn't do anything._

_He was weak. He was pathetic._

_And he was sick of it._

* * *

Mathias woke with a stiff neck and the feel of cold metal against his back. He groaned and brought a hand to the back of his neck, rubbing it as he rotated it around. He looked up and blinked at the bright shaft of sunlight which filtered through a small rectangular window above the cells.

He sighed and hung his head. And that was when he noticed a slightly crumpled brown paper envelope in the crook of his arm. All of a sudden, he remembered that he never got the chance to give it to the Boss like Berwald had instructed him. Just the thought of what the Swede would do to him if he found out was enough to make the Dane's skin crawl.

"About time." A cold voice said behind him.

Mathias turned to find himself staring back at a pair of dark blue eyes, which immediately made his heart jump in his chest, though he had no idea why. "I was beginning to think I was gonna starve here." The Nordic spy, Lukas said in his cold drawl of a voice.

Mathias grinned and got to his feet, stretching. "Good morning to you too, Sunshine."

Lukas frowned, "My name is not sunshine."

"Well it is here." Mathias declared proudly. "'Cause you're in Kalmar territory now, baby!"

The Norse didn't seem too happy about that. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared indignantly at the Dane. "I'm hungry."

Mathias responded to his glare with a grin, "Yeah. So?"

Lukas scowled but he didn't need to say anything to get the message through. The Dane blinked at him then he laughed, "Oh you thought _I'd _get your food for you?" But when this only met the Norse's cool stare, Mathias smiled. "Okay, fine. I'll get your food for you."

Mathias walked down the hallway, humming a familiar-sounding tune under his breath. When he finally reached the main hallway, the musty smell of snake-oil met his nostrils. He quickly covered his mouth and nose with his mouth. God, he hated that smell! Clutching the envelope with his left hand and covering his nose with the other, Mathias walked off and ascended the creaky staircase. He breathed a sigh of relief when he emerged out of the dungeon and into the clean air outside.

"Well, well. If it isn't just the person I wanted to see!"

Mathias froze. He knew this voice. Oh God...not him. But Mathias could already feel the sweat in his palms and the dread in his heart as he slowly looked up to find himself facing a silver-haired, red-eyed German with what looked like a permanent smirk on his face. The German wore a blue military uniform almost similar to that which most of the soldiers wore. But he had a gray cross on the collar of his uniform which the Dane glared at openly. If it had been anyone else but this man who was wearing that symbol on his uniform, then Mathias would have gladly killed him right then and there. Unfortunately, Mathias had neither the authority or the skill to do so, so he simply settled on glaring.

"What do you want, Beilshcmidt?"

"Me?" The German smirked in mock surprise. The he let out a raceous laugh that reminded Mathias too much of the group of boys in his dream, or his memory to be exact. "Actually Kohler, I actually DO want something from you." The man's eyes took in Mathias, inspecting everything about it and the Dane felt uncomfortable under the German's gaze. Finally, the red eyes alighted on the brown envelope in Mathias' hand and his smirk seemed to have increased by size.

"I see you haven't done that little errand Berwald wanted you to do." Mathias scowled, "How do you-?"

"Word travels around fast in a small place, Kohler." The German said before Mathias could continue. He hooked an arm around Mathias' shoulder, which the Dane didn't quite like. In fact, he _loathed _the sight of that arm around his shoulders, which he immediately tried to shake off, but the German was too strong for him. He steered Mathias down an adjacent corridor and kept his arm around him as they walked down the hallway.

"If you're just going to waste my time, you'd better-"

The German laughed, "Relax, Kohler! I'm not gonna do anything...yet." He added, smirking darkly. Mathias stumbled a bit but the German caught him. "Easy there, Mathias, I was just joking." He laughed but the smirk never left this face.

The Dane glared at him. "Since when did I ever give you permission to call me by my first name?"

"You didn't." The German laughed as if it was the funniest joke on Earth. The Dane was simply disgusted to even be in his presence. "So what do you want?" He snapped at the German.

The German smirked, "Simple." He snatched at the envelope and was able to grab a corner of it. But Mathias had anticipated the move and his grip on the thing was like iron. "I want to know what's inside." The German smirked.

Mathias glared at the German's eyes. "Why?" He said suspiciously. For a long moment, the two simply stood there, glaring intensely at each other. Then, the German started to chuckle. The chuckle turned into a giggle, the giggle into laughter, and the laughter turning into even louder, wilder laughter. Mathias simply stood there, stunned before the German let go of the envelope and straightened up. "Relax, dude. I was just joking." The Dane didn't seem convinced but he let his tense shoulders relax a little.

"But seriously." The German draped his arm over Mathias' shoulder but the Dane immediately stepped out of the way. "What is inside?"

"None of your freakin' business." Mathias snapped. "Now you're just wasting my time. I have more important business to do." The Dane thought about Lukas in his cell, probably starving by now.

"Well, perfect!" The German clapped his hands together. He held his hand out to Mathias. "If you'd rather not waste your time, then I'll take it to the boss for you." Mathias narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the bastard. "How do I know that I can trust you?"

"Oh you can!" The German smirked. "I promise I'll bring it to the boss neat and clean and just fine!" Mathias seemed to contemplate this for a while. But all that he thought of was Lukas starving in his cell. Oh God, what was wrong with him?

"No"

Mathias tucked the envelope safely under his arm and walked briskly past the German and down the empty corridor. His soft footsteps echoed around the walls but that was all that could be heard.

Don't look back...Don't look back, damn it!

But Mathias couldn't help it. He glanced behind him, determined to just glance for at least a second. The German still stood there, but he was facing Mathias as he walked away. His hand was still held out to him and there was an eerie smirk on his face.

The sight disgusted Mathias so much that he quickly looked away and quickened his pace.

The more distance there was between him and that guy, the better.

* * *

"Sir...?"

Mathias opened the door to the boss' office a crack. He could just make out the sleek black high-backed chair faced away from him, as always. "Sir...May I enter?"

There was silence, before a voice said, "Yes, you may, Kohler."

Mathias quietly sidled into the room and closed the door behind him. "What is it?" The Boss said. "Sir." Mathias walked forward the placed the now crumpled envelope on the Boss' desk. "Oxenstierna told me to give this to you, sir."

The Boss sounded mildly surprised when he said, "Oxenstierna? The Swedish? Well, well." Mathias could have sworn the Boss was smiling now. "You may leave now, Kohler. Thank you."

Mathias turned and made for the door. His hand was just on the doorknob when the Boss suddenly said, "Oh and Kohler."

Mathias froze. "Yes, sir?" He said stiffly.

"How is the assignment going?" Was it just him or was there a mocking edge to that voice?

Mathias paused before answering, "Fine, sir. Just...fine."

"I hope you aren't slacking off." Now Mathias could distinctly detect something in the boss' voice. "No, sir. I promise you, I haven't." Mathias replied.

"Good." The Boss said, a chuckle in his voice. "Don't worry, Kohler. This assignment will be over soon enough for you. Now don't go getting too attached to that Nordic spy now."

He was mocking him. The Dane was sure of that.

"Yes, sir." Mathias bowed stiffly then quickly left the room, hurrying to the kitchens to grab Lukas (and himself) a quick breakfast.

* * *

"Who was he?"

"Hm?" Mathias looked up from his bowl of soup. "Who was what?" He turned around to face the asker of the question, a certain Norse spy who was glaring at him over his own meagre bowl of soup, who scowled and said, "That man with the silver hair and red eyes. Who was he?"

"Oh." Mathias turned back around and stared at a patch of the concrete floor. "That was Gilbert Beilschmidt. A German. He came to see you did he?"

There was silence before the Norse spoke, "But he was wearing the symbol of my side, the Nordic cross. Isn't that a treason?"

The Dane chuckled, "Yeah, technically it is. But I don't know anything about the guy. He turned up here all of a sudden saying that he had given up on the Nordics and was switching sides. But even though he switched sides, he was still allowed to wear that on his uniform. I don't why though. Maybe he bribed the boss. But I don't know why he'd still wear that too if he says that he's given up on the Nordics..."

A short, thoughtful silence followed before the Norse said, "He's showing off his power..."

Mathias looked up, "What?"

"By still being allowed to wear that even after switching sides, he's showing off how much authority he's got." Lukas continued. "It's like he's saying, 'I can wear this here and you can't do anything about it.'"

Mathias turned to face Lukas and found himself staring at those cold blue eyes that hid a hint of sadness in them. Then he grinned, "Wow. You're pretty smart, Norge."

Lukas glared. "My name is not Norge."

Mathias laughed, "But you're my prisoner, so I can call you whatever I want!"

Lukas looked away in disgust. "You Kalmars...You make me sick. And your food sucks as well!"

Mathias smiled in amusement as he stared at Lukas thoughtfully. The boss' question turned around and around in his head. _"How is the assignment going?" "I hope you aren't slacking off" "Now don't go getting too attached to that Nordic spy now." _His mocking tone kept returning to Mathias and he couldn't shake off the feeling that the boss hasn't really been serious when he had assigned Mathias this duty. But he had to do it. If he wanted to continue in the army, then he'd have to do it. He couldn't keep on going in circles like this...

"What?" Lukas said when he noticed that Mathias was staring at him. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously and Mathias couldn't help but find that look kind of cute. Funny...

"How were you captured anyway?" The Dane finally asked.

Lukas' eyes widened in surprise of being asked such a question but his cold, hard frown returned almost immediately. "I already told you, you won't get any information from me. Not today, not tomorrow, nor on any other day I spend in this stinking cell." And as if to emphasize this, he looked around the cell in disgust.

Mathias frowned a bit, "Yeah, but if you think about it, how you got captured isn't exactly much relevance to our victory in the war. It's just the story of how you were captured. And it would have leaked anyway, knowing how...loud Alfred is." The Dane chuckled.

The Norse gave Mathias a long hard look, as if he were assessing whether he was to be trusted or not. He looked away and suddenly seemed to become interested on a piece of gray wall on his cell. Mathias waited, then sighed and was about to turn away when Lukas said, "It was my brother."

Mathias turned back to look at him and blinked, "Your brother?"

Lukas scowled at him. "Yes, my brother. Or are you deaf?" Mathias chuckled, "All right, go on."

The Norse looked away and hesitated for just a brief moment before continuing, "My brother and I were assigned to spy on this base. He wasn't exactly the quickest, or the most silent but he was okay. We were doing fine, keeping hidden and all, until we started to argue about something, I forgot what it was. At first we were just bickering, then we started getting louder. Before long, he snapped and started shouting. Naturally he was heard. They didn't see me because I hid before they could and they captured my brother. I couldn't stand to see my brother like that, bound and gagged and captured. He was my little brother. So I offered the Kalmars a deal."

Mathias watched as tears started to form at the corners of Lukas' eyes. For just a single moment, he thought that he was actually going to cry. But with one quick swipe of his hand, Lukas wiped away the forming tears and gave the Dane his coldest look ever.

"My freedom for my brother's."

Mathias simply stared back at the Norse, almost stunned at the story. It then occurred to him that Lukas was a person too. And like every person, he had a story of his own. And probably even a family. He had a brother. So why not a family? Mathias hadn't really known Lukas for long. So how could he know? But there was something deep inside Mathias that wanted to know. Wanted to know more about Lukas.

What if Lukas and his brother hadn't signed up for the war? What if they had merely been forced to enter it? What if, somewhere in Norway, or wherever Lukas lived, he had a family waiting for him and his brother? What if he even had a girlfriend? Somehow, the thought of this made Mathias' chest feel heavy, though why was beyond him.

What was Lukas' life like at his home? Was he like this too? Or was this just a facade he kept around strangers?

"Wow." Mathias said. Then he grinned, "So you're actually just a softie after all, Norge!"

Lukas scowled at him. "Again, my name is not Norge."

Mathias laughed but then he smiled kindly at Lukas. "But seriously...What you did for your brother...That was really brave."

For a moment, a stunned expression passed over the Norse's face but then he quickly looked away. "Shut up, you dumb Kalmar." He muttered. Mathias could have sworn that there was a small flush on Lukas' face.

How cute...Wait, what?

Mathias simply laughed it off. "But it's true, isn't it?"

Lukas shook his head. "If he hadn't even started that argument, then I wouldn't even be here right now."

"Yeah, but well" Mathias shrugged his shoulders and grinned at the Norse. "Who knows, maybe you were sent here for a reason!"

Lukas returned his grin with a glare. "Oh like what? To get irritated by an exasperating Kalmar?"

Mathias laughed, "You're funny, Norge." He smiled. This time it wasn't one of his famous, over-confident grins. It was a true, genuine smile. "I like that."

And now there was simply no mistaking it. Mathias could have sworn that a pinkish, maybe even slightly reddish, color had crept into the Nordic's face at this compliment. The Dane's chest did a little jump at the sight of this, though the reason was completely beyond him.

But Lukas quickly looked away.

The silence between them seemed almost impenetrable. Not a sound was made after that and the day passed in an uneventful blur.

* * *

_"I'm not going to stop following you around until you say it."_

_The boy with silver hair and violet eyes stopped and glared at him over his shoulder. "I'm not ever gonna say it, so you're just wasting your time!" Then he stomped off._

_Lukas quickened his pace to catch up with his brother. "Come on, Emil. You know you want to."_

_Emil shot him a withering look. "No, I don't!"_

_"Yes you do." Lukas replied evenly, now jogging into place beside Emil. "I know you better than anyone else."_

_"No you don't!" Emil snapped back at him. "Mr. Puffin knows me better!"_

_Lukas frowned. "Why can't you just say it? Don't you remember? You kept calling me that when you were younger."_

_Emil finally stopped and glared up at his brother with his white-blond hair (complete with stray curl) and cold dark blue eyes the color of the sea. "That was when I was younger! I'm thirteen now! I'm too old for that!" He made to run away but Lukas quickly grabbed his shoulder and his grip was strong. Emil looked extremely uncomfortable._

_Lukas leaned forward until his mouth was only inched from Emil's right ear. "Big brother." He said softly in it. Emil cringed as Lukas continued to say those two words in his ear. "Big brother. Big brother. Big brother. Big brother. Big brother. Big brother. Big brother. Big brother-"_

_"Enough already!" Emil stepped back and stumbled but luckily regained his balance. He glared angrily at Lukas. "I'm not a baby anymore!"_

_He started to run, but then slowed down and stopped only a few paces away. He hesitated, turned around and stared back at Lukas, embarrassed. _

_He sighed sharply then, looking away from him embarrassingly, he muttered, "Big brother..." _

_He gave Lukas one last glare before running off. Lukas watched him go. Then a slightly amused expression appeared on his face._

_"You were always so cute back then, Emil..."_

* * *

"Emil..." The Nordic spy whispered in his sleep as the Kalmar soldier guarding him grunted in his sleep and shifted into a more comfortable position.

* * *

**LOL I see what I did there XDD. Anyways, I'm sorry for the long update ;A; but I'm so happy! REVIEWS! REVIEWS EVERYWHERE! THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH~!**

**~Anon~**


	3. Chapter 3

_"Are you really serious about this?"_

_"As serious as I can be."_

_"But-" Emil stumbled as he tripped over a rock he had failed to notice before running into it. He cursed under his breath as he jogged to catch up with his brother, who was already a good few paces ahead. Eventually, he fell into step beside him, though he still had to jog a little to keep up with Lukas' long strides. "But what about mother and father?" He panted beside him. "What about me?"_

_"You're old enough to take care of yourself now, aren't you?" Lukas said, that cold hard look still on his face. "I mean, you're-"_

_"Eighteen, I know." Emil said, what looked like a mixture of a frown and a scowl (so reminiscent of Lukas) on his face. "But then...What happens if..."_

_His voice faded and his steps faltered. He stopped and stared down at his shoes. Lukas went five more strides ahead before noticing this and he too stopped. He turned to look at Emil. "What happens if?" He asked._

_Emil looked up for a second but quickly looked away. "What happens if...You...You know..." He shook his head, as if he'd rather not talk about it. But Lukas knew what he was talking about all the same._

_The Norse only shrugged his shoulders and said, "Then what happens...must happen." Emil looked up, stunned. But Lukas' face was a mask of coldness. Then he shook his head, "But wouldn't it be better if it won't happen at all?"_

_Lukas didn't respond immediately. He stared back at Emil then, closing his eyes and looking away, he sighed. "Who are we to say whether it would be better for something not to happen when we don't even know what that something will bring?" _

_Emil could only stare back, stunned at his brother. The Norse started to walk away but Emil didn't follow. "This is my choice, Emil." Lukas said without looking back at him. "And whatever happens because of it is my fault and no one else's. I suggest you just accept it." _

_Emil stood there, rooted, as he watched the retreating figure of his brother getting farther and farther away from him. He clenched his fists at his side as he bit back tears of frustration. What was he going to do now? His brother was going off into the heart of the war and probably kill himself in the process. And he? He would just stay at the farm, hoping and praying like the rest of the family that Lukas would come back alive. He couldn't...He just couldn't stand idly by and do nothing while Lukas risked his life out there._

_And even just the thought that this could well be the last conversation that the two brothers would ever have...No..._

_Emil would have hated to admit it, but he just couldn't stand even the thought of it._

_Emil stood up straighter. His mind was made up. His resolution was strong. He was not going to just let Lukas go like this. Not ever._

_"Hey!" He ran to catch up with Lukas, who stopped when he heard him calling out. Emil stopped to catch his breath. "Lukas." He placed a hand on the Norse's shoulder. "You're not ever going anywhere without me." He said resolutely. "So I'm coming with you!"_

_Lukas' eyes widened a little but the hard expression remained. "Emil, think of what mother and father will say. Think of what they'll **do.**"_

_"I don't care!" Emil snapped back. "I don't care! All I know is I'm going to make sure that you're making it home when all this is over!" Emil hesitated before adding, "Even if I have to **die!**"  
_

_Lukas' brow furrowed. "You don't know what you're saying, Emil. I suggest you go back before it's too late."_

_"No." Emil held his ground and his grip on Lukas' shoulder grew more firm. "If I can't convince you to not do it, then I'm going to do it with you."_

_Lukas stared back at the determined expression on Emil's face. "You don't know what it's like out there, Emil."_

_"Oh what, and like you do?" Emil replied scathingly._

_For a moment, the corners of Lukas' mouth twitched but then he turned away from Emil (shaking his hand off his shoulder as if it was nothing but paper) and walked away. _

_"Well if you're coming to the battlefield with me, then you can start by outrunning me there." And before Emil could even process this, Lukas had broke out into a run._

_"Hey, w-wait!" Emil ran after him. "What's with all this running all of a sudden?!"_

_"I told you, didn't I?" Lukas called back over his shoulder, not a single trace of weariness in his voice. "You're going to have to work that body and outrun me to the camp!" So saying, he quickened his pace and was soon yards away from Emil._

_Emil furrowed his eyebrows. What kind of twisted game was his brother playing? Then he thought, 'Oh what the heck' and abandoning all pride and worry, he put on a burst of speed and called out to Lukas, "Eat my dust, you douche!"_

_And as they raced through the departing countryside, Emil could feel a smile tugging on his lips._

_And then suddenly, everything changed._

_Emil was racing through the countryside, following his brother, then it all changed._

_The countryside dissolved and turned into a barren battlefield. Bloodied bodies, both Kalmar and Nordic alike, lay all around him and still more stood around him, fighting. Emil let out a cry as the body of a fellow Nordic soldier almost fell on him, threatening to crush him under its weight. Luckily, he had managed to sidestep it. _

_And there he stood, staring down, horror struck, at the face of the Nordic soldier, which was frozen in a look of utter terror. The fear that gripped his heart was unlike anything that Emil had felt before. What...What was happening? _

_Then there, right in front of him, Emil saw it._

_Lukas had stumbled and fallen down. A Kalmar was bearing down on him. Somehow, this Kalmar looked different from others. He wore a long black coat with red cuffs and he carried an axe, which was poised high in the air, ready to strike at Lukas. His face was hidden in shadow but he had a crop of slick, wild blonde hair._

_Emil cried out and ran toward Lukas. He didn't know what he was going to do when he got to him, but whatever it was going to be, he was going to stop this guy from attacking Lukas._

_But he was too late._

_The Kalmar raised his axe then brought it down on his victim._

_Emil stood rooted to the spot, unable to move, unable to breathe, unable to even hear. All he saw was his brother's broken and mutilated body lying on the ground. The bright crimson blood flowing out of the large wound. _

_And the one who did this. The Kalmar._

_Emil turned to him and was met by an almost surprising sight._

_There were tears in the Kalmar's eyes. Tears running freely down his cheeks. He opened his mouth, as if he was about to tell Emil something, but then stopped and turned away from him, wiping the tears away with the sleeve of his coat._

_Emil didn't know what was going on._

_What the hell was happening? What was he going to do? What...What was going on?!_

_Emil wanted nothing more than to sink to the ground and stay there. No...this wasn't real...There was no way this could be real! Yet...why did it **feel **so real? Was that really blood on Lukas? Was he really dead?_

_And when Emil turned to look at his brother's dead body again, he felt words rising to his tongue. Or more accurately, one word. One name._

_As Emil sank to his knees to the ground, his hands over his ears, he screamed his brother's name as loud as he could, not caring if an enemy was going to hear him or not. Not caring at all._

_This...This just couldn't be real...Not real...Not everything..._

* * *

"-mil, wake up!"

"Luk-!" Emil sat upright in bed, sweaty and suddenly feeling very sick to the stomach. He looked around him frantically, but all he was were the white-washed walls of the small dorm in the Nordic base camp and empty bunk beds. He sighed and cradled his head in both hands. What was that just now...?

"Whew, I'm glad you're awake! I was beginning to think that you wouldn't wake up!" Emil turned to look at a short Finnish soldier with light blonde hair and light blue eyes standing beside his bunk bed. "Tino..." Emil muttered then looked away. Tino was a Finnish soldier and although Finland was on the Kalmar side, Tino had declared his allegiance to the Nordics as a medic. Nobody knew exactly why, but everybody just accepted it. And Tino was kind and friendly anyway, so he was instantly liked by many of the Nordics. He was especially fond of the younger Nordics, which was why he was always looking after Emil and Lukas. Emil found it annoying sometimes but also oddly comforting. Nobody knew what Lukas thought about all this. But really, that guy _barely _said anything sometimes.

Emil sighed and asked, "What happened?"

"You were thrashing around in your sleep." Tino said thoughtfully. "And you were muttering things as well but we couldn't make out what. It looked like you were having a nightmare though. What _did _you dream about?"

Emil frowned at the Fin. "I don't want to talk about it."

Tino shrugged his shoulders. "Okay." But he still looked concerned. "Come on. You're going to be late for morning assembly."

"Oh. Yeah." Emil replied dully. He stretched then slowly, got out of bed. But as he did so, a wave of nausea hit him and then suddenly, he was falling.

But he could neither hear nor see. It was like his senses had turned off.

All he saw were the images of his dream. Lukas lying dead on the ground while his murderer, a Kalmar, stared coldly back at him. The image kept replaying over and over again in front of Emil's eyes. At first, Emil thought that it was simply his brain acting up. But then he began to wonder if this was not the reason at all. And why was it that it was only this image and this image alone that kept replaying? What if...it was telling him something?

And all of a sudden, Emil knew what it was.

With a sinking feeling of dread, he stared at the mutilated body of his brother one last time before it dissolved. And suddenly he was staring up at the ceiling of the dorm, with it's cracked plaster and cobwebs, and he could hear a voice crying out. "-Emil! Quick, somebody call a doctor! Emil!"

Emil gasped and grabbed for the first thing he could find. It was Tino's uniform sleeve. He pulled himself up, panting. "Emil!" Tino said. "What's wrong? Are you feeling-?"

"Lukas!" Emil gasped.

Tino blinked and stared at him. "Lukas? What-" Then his eyes widened. "Have you managed to get word from him?"

"More than that." Emil sighed then looked away. "I...I think he's in danger...big danger."

* * *

"Wake up, Norgy~!"

_Oh God. Now he's gone and made a nickname out of a nickname of my name!_ Lukas groaned and lifted his hand from his face. He blinked and scowled at the bright sunlight filtering in through the cell's steel bars. And there, standing silhouetted against the sunlight was Mathias, who was rapping noisily on the bars with that stupid, overly-cheerful grin of his.

But stupid as it may be, Lukas couldn't stop the small flutter in his chest at the sight of it. He suppressed it however as he sat up and said in his usual cold drawl, "Have you any respect for someone who was sleeping? And for the last time, my name is not Norge!" Though funnily enough, he had gotten quite used to hearing it from the Dane. And in fact, had begun to like the way it sounded when Mathias called him that with that voice of his...That dumb, cheery voice...

Mathias laughed, "Sorry, Norge. But I've got some good news for you!"

Lukas slowly sat upright and rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh joy. I can't _wait _to hear what it is." Mathias laughed, entirely missing the sarcasm in the Norse's voice. "And you've got good reason to! Because the boss finally gave me permission to take you outside!"

Lukas stopped and stared at him. "What do you mean 'take me outside'?" Then his brows furrowed. "If this is some trick to get me talking, I swear..."

"Oh, well." Mathias laughed again. "How long has it actually been since you've last been outside?"

"Oh I don't know!" Lukas said coldly. "How long have I been in this stinky cell?"

Mathias thought for a moment before replying, "Two weeks?"

"There you go!" Lukas said, throwing his arms up. Mathias laughed, "Wow, that's a really long time! Well, good thing I finally got the permission. So!"

Producing a small key from the pocket of his black coat, Mathias fitted it into the lock of the door of the cell and turned it. A long rusty squeal met their ears but afterwards there was a click and the door swung open easily. Mathias grinned at Lukas in the open doorway.

Lukas scowled at Mathias, the flutter in his chest continuing to grow. "How?" He said. Mathias blinked, "How what, Norge?"

"How do you know that I won't bolt the moment I'm out of this cell?" Lukas said. Mathias frowned, as if contemplating this, then shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know...I feel it. I feel like...I trust you enough already to know that you wouldn't do something like that."

Lukas felt something blossoming in his chest and threatening to break through at these words. Was it true? Did he really trust him enough to know that he wouldn't do what most people would have thought he would?

Right at that moment, Lukas felt a wind blowing from outside his cell. He felt an exciting chill in his stomach. Was he really finally going to get outside after so many days in this damp, dirty cell? The thought was almost unbelievable. Yet, there it was, the open doorway.

"Come on, Norge, you know you want to." The Dane grinned. Lukas scowled, "Like you know what I want and what I don't." Mathias laughed then held out his hand to Lukas.

Lukas hesitated. Somehow, the thought of holding Mathias' hand had him slightly embarrassed but he immediately pushed the thought away as he got up and took the Dane's hand, trying to ignore the tingling sensation in his fingers.

"Well that wasn't so hard, was it?" Mathias laughed. Lukas suddenly noticed the pinkish glow on Mathias' face as he led him out of the cell. The moment he was out however, Lukas withdrew his hand from the Dane's.

Mathias immediately looked alert. Lukas knew that look. He was doubting whether it had been wise to let him out. Whether it had been wise to trust him like that.

But he needn't doubt.

"Well?" Lukas placed his hands on his hips. "Are we going or what?"

Mathias looked surprised but then grinned. "Let's go then, Norge~!"

* * *

"Emil...Are you...sure about this...?"

"As sure as I can get!" Emil raced through the empty corridors, his knee-high white boots making an undignified squeaking noise as he ran. But the Nordic didn't care. All he cared about right now was his brother's fate. And even if he wasn't in trouble, he still had to have him back as soon as possible!

"Wait...!" Tino panted as he ran to catch up with Emil, clutching his side as he went. "Slow down, Emil...! But...my question...is, how can you...be so sure about Lukas...being in trouble...?"

Emil stopped and glared fiercely at Tino, who froze at the sight of the cold gaze (so much like Lukas') on Emil's face and directed at him.

"I know that this isn't really good enough evidence," Emil said in a cold voice (so much like Lukas'). "But I know! I can feel it in my bones, Tino! Lukas is in danger! And you can just go and do whatever you want if you want to, all I know is, I'm not going to leave my brother like that...After all, it was my fault..." Emil looked away and continued to walk briskly down the corridor.

Tino had never seen him like this before. If Emil was acting so serious all of a sudden...then what else could it mean? Tino quickened his pace until he was walking right behind Emil.

"So what do you plan to do?" Tino asked, all weariness gone from his voice.

Emil glanced back at him for only a second before looking back ahead and saying in a completely expressionless voice, "I plan to save Lukas, that's what."

Tino paused before answering, "Sounds like a sensible enough plan to me." A small smile started to creep into his face.

Emil didn't answer but just continued to walk ahead with Tino walking closely behind.

Eventually, they came upon a small door at the end of the hallway. Emil stopped in front of it and seemed to hesitate for a mere second but after which opened the door and walked in confidently. Tino followed, bowing his head and hoping within his heart that this wouldn't end badly.

"Steilsson?" The boss looked up from a stack of papers on his desk to address Emil, who halted at least two feet away from the desk and stood there, staring determinedly at the man. The man turned to look at Tino. "And Väinämöinen too? Well, well." The man leaned against his chair. "This is unexpected. So, what do you want?"

"Sir." Emil said. "I have a request to make of you."

The man raised his eyebrows. "A request, you say? Well, well. How unexpected."

Tino squirmed nervously then couldn't hold it in. He stepped forward, "Sir, let me explain. Steilsson-"

"Sir." Emil interrupted him before he could continue. He took another step forward and said just as straight-forwardly, "I wish to infiltrate the Kalmar military camp where my brother, Lukas Bondevik, was captured." He bowed. "With your permission, of course."

"Hmmm" The boss looked up at them from his intertwined fingers. "Interesting...And what is your reason for this, Steilsson?"

"Sir" Emil stood up and said, "I wish to bring my brother back from the camp. I believe...I believe that he is in danger there."

"Oh?' The boss raised his eyebrows again. "And what makes you so sure of this?"

Tino cringed. Oh God, what now?

But Emil remained unfazed. He stood up even straighter and said with a strange certainty in his voice, "As odd as it may sound, sir, I'm not sure about this myself. But I can feel it. I can feel that something is going to happen to Lukas. And I wish to avoid it in any way possible."

Tino had to admit, the way Emil carried himself at that moment, his steadfast calmness, composure and resoluteness, it impressed him, even just a little bit.

The boss looked thoughtful for a moment. "That is odd..." He said. "But as much as I feel for you..." The boss turned his back on them. "I can't simply send out troops to that camp without concrete proof of the reason. It would be too risky."

Emil looked stunned. "B-But, sir, isn't Lukas-"

"I know." The boss interrupted. "He's the best spy that we've got, I know." He sighed. "But Steilsson, if I send you and some other troops out there to rescue him just based on this...this _feeling _that you have that he's in danger...Imagine how that will affect our reputation. And who knows, maybe Bondevik is safer where he is right now..."

Emil couldn't believe it. He felt his heart and his hope sinking to his feet and replaced by rage. Rage at the boss. Why did he have to be like this? Wasn't Lukas a fellow Nordic? Wasn't he supposed to take care of his troops? Was this his way of showing it? By leaving Lukas in that Kalmar camp to die?

"Now go on and await further instructions." The boss barked with a tone of authority. "You are dismissed."

Emil swallowed his rage for just a moment to give a stiff bow and walk briskly out of the room. Tino imminently sensed the younger's rage and made to follow him when the boss. "Wait, Väinämöinen." Tino stopped and turned to the boss. "Sir...?" He said nervously.

"Stay." The boss said. "I believe we have something of some importance to discuss. Steilsson, you may go."

Tino and Emil exchanged looks but Tino only gave him a small nervous smile before walking forward to stand in front of the boss' desk.

Emil wasted no time. He pulled open the door and not even bothering to close it behind him, he walked away down the corridor, rage consuming him. How could he do this...? How could he just walk away and accept this?

He had to go back there and outright _demand _to have that Kalmar camp infiltrated and his brother rescued.

But somehow, Emil's feet carried him back to the dormitory and there he leaned against the wall, tears of frustration rolling down his cheeks, which he quickly wiped away, embarrassed.

Whatever the boss said, whatever he told him to do, Emil would find a way to save Lukas from the terrible fate that was to meet him, whatever it was.

And he was not going to let the boss stop him.

* * *

**Can you not feel the brotherly love between Lukas and Emil yet? XDD. Anyways, I'm sorry for the long update and if this chapter is too short or seems too rushed, but THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR REVIEWS! They really mean a lot to me :).**

**Oh and a fair warning to my readers: This story will contain A CHARACTER DEATH. Yes, that's right. Character death -.-. ****I decided this while planning the future chapters for this story. ** I myself am not sure who will die in the end. (Maybe Denmark, maybe Norway, maybe even Finny ;A;) But if you're not one for character deaths, then I suggest you stop right now. 

**But then again, I might change my mind around the middle of the story and not add any sort of character death after all. But you never know anyway.**

**Just a fair warning to my readers who just can't stomach a character death in a story :).**

**I enjoy reviews very much, thank you!**

**~Anon~**


	4. Chapter 4

Lukas closed his eyes as soft breeze blew past, ruffling his white-blond hair. He loved the feeling of the wind on his skin and the strange scents from someplace far away that it brought with it. It reminded him of his childhood days of sitting with his legs dangling on the edge of a cliff high above a fjord in his homeland. He could still remember the way the water sparkled. The intimidating stone walls rising above on the other side and the cloudless blue sky high above.

And he was pretty sure Emil was there. But of course, he had been really young. He was too scared to go near the edge so instead he would hang not too far from him but not too near the edge of the cliff as well, telling him stories that he'd made up, stories of he and Lukas going on adventures, slaying dragons, saving princesses and such. All the while he could keep on calling him "Big brother" like he used to. Like Lukas always wanted him to. In exchange, Lukas would tell Emil about the fairies, the trolls and the sprites that he met and had befriended. Emil always looked skeptical whenever he would tell him that they were real and he still was until now. Although Emil would always try to sound enthusiastic, excited and interested in the topic, Lukas knew that he really didn't believe them and had slowly begun to pass them off as stories that his brother had told him to entertain him when he was younger .

And maybe they were. Still, you can never tell with Lukas.

Mathias watched Lukas all the while and he couldn't help but smile at the calm, peaceful look the Norse had on his face right now. He was almost tempted to reach out and touch that face and for an uncontrollable moment, he could feel his hand lifting from the ground beside him and slowly inching toward the Norse's face. But upon realizing what it was doing, the Dane quickly balled his hand into a fist, withdrew it and forced himself to look away. He could already feel the heat rising to his face. What was he thinking? This isn't right. Not right at all. He shouldn't be feeling this way towards Lukas, especially since he was his prisoner. Mathias had just started to suspect about that jumpy, flittery feeling in his chest that he felt whenever he was around Lukas but even when he had finally thought of a theory, he just couldn't seem to wrap his mind around it. It wasn't right for someone like him to have those kind of feelings towards someone like Lukas. He knew that. Yet, he couldn't stop it. Whenever those dark sea-colored eyes fixed him in their gaze, it always started. It wasn't only that. It was his scent as well. Even after two weeks in that cell, Lukas still smelled like the sea and just that scent always left the Dane reeling. He had become so familiar with it by now, in fact, that he could immediately recognize it and associate it with Lukas. And there was also something about that cold, hard gaze of his that Mathias just couldn't resist. And that sadness. That sadness in his eyes that the Norse was always trying to hide...Mathias just wanted to find the reason for that sadness and just...destroy it, or whatever.

Mathias' turned a deep scarlet when he realized that he had been staring at Lukas for a long time now and that the Norse was also staring back at him with his cold gaze. "What?" He asked coldly.

Mathias quickly looked away, scratching the back of his neck. "N-Nothing..."

Lukas narrowed his eyes but didn't press any further and continued to stare at the scenery. The both of them sat atop a hill right near the Kalmar base camp. Mathias still didn't know what had given him the idea to take Lukas out on a day like this and it beat him as to why the boss had even accepted the proposal but he was glad he did. There was nothing like fresh air to clear your mind.

Mathias sighed and cast a sideways glance at the Norse. He seemed to be enjoying his momentary freedom. Still, it made Mathias' heart sink a little to think that at the end of the day, Lukas would be put back in his cell. You rarely saw the Norse look happy (Well, at least as close to happy as you can get with Lukas) and although he still couldn't comprehend it, the Dane felt like it was his duty to make him happy. Or at least, for as long as was possible. He drew in a breath through his teeth and sat up straight. "So!" He said cheerily in an attempt to make conversation. "Tell me about your brother."

Lukas stared at him coldly. "Why do you want to know?"

Mathias shrugged his shoulders and grinned. "I just wanna."

Lukas just continued to look at him coldly, distrustfully, and something seemed to hurt in the Dane's chest at that look of absolute distrust.

The Norse's look suddenly softened and he said, "There isn't much to tell. Our father is Icelandic and our mother is Norse but he's more on the Iceland side while I'm more on the Norway side." Mathias raised his eyebrows. "So you're sort of mixed?" Lukas shrugged, "You can say that." Then his hard gaze returned. "What about you?"

Mathias looked surprised then shrugged and looked away. "There's really nothing to tell. My parents died when I was younger" -_You really don't want to know how- _"and I've lived in an orphanage" _-At least, that's part of the truth- _"But I never liked it there" _-That's definitely the truth- _"So I trained and came here." _That wasn't entirely the truth..._

Lukas raised his eyebrows. "So the only reason you're fighting in this war...is because you don't like the orphanage you were sent to?"

Mathias laughed but even he couldn't hide the forced tone of it. "You're funny, Norge." _But you don't want to know the truth._

Lukas scowled. "Again, please refrain from calling me that. And don't give me your stupid 'You're-on-Kalmar-territory-so-I-can-do-the-hell-I-want' talk please."

Mathias laughed. "Nice one, Norge."

Lukas continued to scowl as he stared at the Dane. "Why...?" He whispered softly. Mathias blinked, "Why what, Norge?" Lukas looked surprised then seemed to have realized what he had said. He quickly looked away and Mathias' heart skipped a beat as he realized that the Norse was blushing. REALLY blushing. "Nothing..." He grumbled. The Dane grinned almost out of happiness rather than his usual impulse.

"Say Norge." Mathias stared up at the sky. "What's it like in your hometown?"

Lukas didn't answer for a long time but when he did, he said, "Like any other village. Quiet, peaceful, with lots of farmlands. Right on top of a cliff on a fjord...Beautiful view."

Mathias took note of how he had replied in stitches instead of full sentences. He whistled then said, "Must be nice, living in the country."

Lukas shrugged his shoulders. "Can't complain."

"So my guess is your family owns a farm?"

"Yes."

"You work there?"

"Yes."

"Like, everyday?"

"Yes. Unless it's market day."

"What happens on market day?"

"We sell our harvests in the market. All the farmers do that on market day."

"Must be fun."

Lukas looked at him strangely then and Mathias couldn't help thinking, _Gods, this has got to be the most boring conversation ever._

Then the Norse said, "You know, why don't you stop stalling and just ask me right out about all the information you need for your boss?"

Mathias was taken aback. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped a few inches. Then he shook his head. "But would you tell me if I asked you?" He asked.

Lukas maintained his hard look before shrugging his shoulders. Mathias wasn't sure if this meant a yes, a no, or a maybe but after that there was complete silence. The Dane sighed and hung his head.

"I don't know..."

Mathias looked up. Lukas was looking away from him but his face had turned a slight redder. "I don't know how I can handle this..."

Mathias looked at him, puzzled. "Handle what Norge?"

Lukas seemed reluctant to, but he turned to face the Dane and there was something different about him with that single look. Not only was he not scowling or staring coldly, but he was blushing and it looked like he was trying to suppress something. Suddenly, a warmness grew within Mathias' chest.

"I can't seem to express these any better, but...Somehow, whenever I'm with you...I'm all of a sudden really happy...And I don't even know why..."

Mathias' eyes widened. It was just the same as what he felt around Lukas...What could this possibly mean? "Norge, what are you-"

"I didn't expect it." Lukas continued. "I didn't even ask for it...But why...did it have to be you?"

Mathias' chest suddenly felt close to bursting. "Norge...Are you saying..." He left it at that. They both stared into each other's eyes and even without speaking, they knew what it meant. Mathias' chest felt like it was going to explode any minute now and he could barely contain it.

Where...just where did this sudden...this sudden confession come from?

"Norge..." The Dane said slowly. "I didn't know-"

"Lukas"

Mathias blinked. The Norse looked away.

"Just...call me Lukas."

Mathias blinked again then grinned. "All right then. Lukas!"

* * *

Mathias opened the cell door for Lukas and stepped aside for him to pass. The Dane couldn't help but grin almost stupidly at the Norse, who only gave him a weird look in exchange.

As the Dane locked the cell door behind the Norse, he sighed then leaned his back against the cool bars.

A silence so deep and long followed. Then the Dane finally spoke, "Did you mean it...What you said just a while back?"

Lukas stayed silent. A minute passed. Two. Three. Four. Five...

Just as Mathias was about to count to the fifth minute, he heard Lukas say, "Yes."

Mathias could feel his heart hammering against his chest. Was it...true?

The Dane slowly turned around and met the Norse's eyes. And it was then that he knew. He realized everything. This feeling...was not something to be taken lightly.

Mathias suddenly felt conscious of himself. He blushed deeply and looked away. "I...I think I'll go get us some dinner!" He said quickly and walked awkwardly away.

But as he ascended the steps, Mathias couldn't hide the spreading smile on his face.

In fact, he was so consumed by his own happiness that he didn't notice the red-eyed albino standing there until he was right in front of him. AL the happiness seemed to drain out of Mathias at the sight of that face and his silly grin was replaced by a scowl. "Kohler." The albino smirked. "Beilschmidt." Mathias replied coldly.

Gilbert sighed. "Ah, what a day it has been! Haven't been seeing you around lately, Kohler. Say," He threw his arm around the Dane's shoulder which Mathias was too slow to avoid. "Been hearing about you and that Nordic spy lately. Heard that you two are getting really close to each other. Like best chums or something." He smirked and Mathias was just loathe to see that smirking face near his.

"Yeah, so what if it's true? What's it to you?" Mathias lifted Gilbert's arm away from him. Gilbert smirked. "More than you think." He said softly then sauntered off.

Mathias only stared after him, bewildered. Surely he had anything else to say? And then, what exactly did he mean?

But the Dane pushed these thoughts out of his mind as he walked to the cafeteria with a slight spring in his step. Gilbert could creep him out as much as he wanted, Mathias didn't care.

Because this feeling, this growing feeling. This overwhelmingly wonderful and happy feeling, could not be denied. Could not be suppressed and hidden any longer.

Because the Dane had realized that he had just fallen in love for the first time. And with a Nordic for that matter.

How this was all going to play out was not on Mathias' mind right now. Because now, all he wanted to do was sit there on his usual spot outside the Norse's cell and talk and listen to whatever Lukas had to say.

And that in itself was already good enough.

* * *

**This. Has got to be. One of the most DISORGANIZED chapters I have ever written ;A;. I mean, just look at the mess I made of things!**

**I barely even know where that confession came from too XDD. I mean, I just wanted to write about how Den and Nor have a conversation about...things...then I must have gotten impatient and wrote that. Or else, I started losing inspiration about what they should talk about XDD.**

**But really, there are some things that you just can't hide for long and I guess Lukas just couldn't hold back anymore XDD.**

**I think things are starting to get to a climax here. But only starting. Oh and I have found, like, the perfect song for this fic! Halo by Beyonce. Because! 'Remember those walls I built? Well, baby, they're tumbling down. And they didn't even put up a fight. Didn't even make a sound. I found a way to let you in. But I never really had a doubt. Standing in the light of your halo. I got my angel now. It's like I've been awakened. Every rule I had you breaking. It's the risk I'm taking. I ain't never gonna shut you out!' *singing off-key***

**Yeah, pretty much had the song on repeat while writing this chappie...Oh Norway~~! (Breaks down in tears for no apparent reason)**

**Oh and your reviews! I have absolutely no words to say just how much I love them! Thank you thank thank you thank you so much! ASFLDFDGHHIJIHJBKSALDKHSJKBM NVFKSZHFVS!**

**Keep them coming ;)**

**~Anon~**


	5. Chapter 5

Mathias watched Lukas' sleeping face in the dark. He loved how the Norse looked when he slept. That crease between his eyes disappeared and he didn't look so cold and intimidating. In fact, he looked almost angelic. Calm, peaceful...beautiful.

Instinctively, Mathias reached out and gently stroked the side of Lukas' face. It felt so smooth and warm that Mathias wished he could hold that face in his hands. His thumb brushed the surface of the Norse's lips ever-so-slightly. Lukas' breath was delightfully warm and his lips soft. If it hadn't been for the bars separating them, the Dane would have loved to find out what those lips tasted like, would have loved to see how they felt against his.

Lukas stirred in his sleep but settled back after a while. Mathias brushed a few strands of the Norse's bangs from his forehead and ran a hand slowly and gently through the Nordic's hair. A slightly annoyed look suddenly passed over the Norse's face and his hand lifted to his face, attempting to swat away whatever was there. But his face slowly relaxed and his hand dropped to his side. Mathias smiled as he withdrew his hand from between the bars.

He sighed and hung his head. Why was he even still doing this? He wasn't supposed to feel this way. Not towards Lukas. And for many reasons. One, because he was a guy. Men weren't supposed to feel this way towards other men without being called a sissy or something. Two, he was a Nordic. They were enemies. Enemies were supposed to hate each other to death.

And third, it just wasn't right. All of the above reasons led to this one conclusion. Having these feelings, falling in love with Lukas...just wasn't right.

Yet, why did it feel right to Mathias?

He knew that this was wrong. He knew that he wasn't supposed to be doing this, he knew that this wasn't going to end good, yet he still did. It didn't quite explain it, but somehow remaining in love with Lukas felt like the right thing to do. Being in love with him and not even feeling sorry or ashamed for it. It just seemed...right.

Mathias gazed longingly at the Norse. The moonlight from the window bathed Lukas in an almost other-worldly light and the Dane couldn't help but be dazzled by how the Norse looked sleeping peacefully there. How stunning and simply...beautiful he looked.

Mathias sighed and forced himself to look away.

* * *

Lukas was acting even colder than usual when Mathias woke the next day.

He wouldn't look straight at him and he avoided any sort of contact with him. Mathias knew immediately that something was up and he also knew that he wanted to know what this was.

"Hey." He said after a failed attempt of making the Norse laugh. "What's wrong? You've been acting really strange lately."

Lukas scowled up at him but for only a brief moment before looking away. He didn't answer. Mathias could feel his irritation growing, which was sort of rare for him since he usually had a long tolerance for things like this, especially when it came to this Norse. But this was becoming too much.

"Hey, if you don't want to talk to me, then at least tell me that straight on. I don't appreciate your little silent treatment here." Mathias crossed his arms over his chest.

Lukas stared up at him impassively. Then he sighed and looked away. "You want me to be honest?" He said through gritted teeth. "Fine then. Everything that I said or even did yesterday...that meant nothing."

The words hit Mathias like a knife, piercing his chest. "What do you mean...?" He said weakly.

"I mean," When Lukas looked up at him, and their eyes met, there was simply a cold impassiveness in them. If it had hatred or distrust in them, then it would have been better. It would have hurt less at least. But to see absolutely no emotion in those dark sea-blue eyes, just a resonating coldness, seemed much worse.

"That was a moment of weakness." Lukas continued. "I wasn't thinking properly. I didn't know what came out of my mouth then. So just forget it. Whatever I said then...was nothing."

Mathias felt his hands shaking. His ears went deaf and his heart felt like it was being stabbed by a thousand blades. No. It felt much worse than that.

Everything in his field of vision went blurry and all he could see was Lukas and his cold gaze. It just couldn't be true. That sudden confession...A moment of weakness? He couldn't believe it...He wouldn't believe it!

His impulses overtook him and he turned on his heel and marched off. He expected the tears to come out but strangely they didn't. Maybe this feeling was just beyond tears now. It was pain. Agonizing pain.

Mathias didn't even realize that he was climbing up the stairs of the dungeon. To tell the truth, he really didn't care. His head was reeling and those words, those cold words, echoed in his head. _"That was a moment of weakness." "Everything that I said or even did yesterday...that meant nothing." _

How could he...?

He suddenly bumped into someone as he went. "Sorry..." he muttered, wiping furiously at the moisture in his eyes. "I-"

"I'm glad I ran into you, Kohler." A familiar German-accented voice said. Mathias looked up and realized with a mounting horror that he was standing face-to-face with the smirking Gilbert Beilshcmidt.

"The boss wants you in his office. Now."

* * *

**I know! Really short and really crappy ;;A;;. I'm sorry! My motivation's down and I really need a good pick-me-up. This chapter was kind of hard to write and I was seriously stuck at the beginning -.-**

**Anyways, please cheer me up and review! It would make my day more than anything!**

**~A very depressed Anon ~**


	6. Chapter 6

"Just exactly how long are you going to keep me waiting, Kohler?"

Mathias gritted his teeth and made his face as blank as possible. "Sir, I just need more time-"

"More time?" The boss let out a loud, mirthless laugh. "Well unfortunately for you Kohler, time is a luxury you can't afford now."

Mathias' gulped and clenched his hands into fists at his side. "Sir, may I just ask, why the rush in getting the answers from Lu-" He bit his lip. He almost said it. He almost said his name. "The spy?" He quickly added.

The boss twitched a little but paused before replying, "Are you really _that _dumb, Kohler? Is it not obvious to you?" Mathias cringed at the stinging words but did not reply.

"We need the information that this spy has to offer because time itself is slipping away." The boss said. "And while time is running like water through our fingers, the Nordics are getting stronger." The boss' hand appeared on the chair's armrest. "They're planning something in that base of theirs. I just know it. And that is the reason why we need this information as soon as possible! Do you realize it now, Kohler?"

Mathias shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Kind of, sir..."

The boss scoffed. "Kind of. That is not an answer, Kohler. The importance of extracting information from the spy is to find out what exactly the Nordics are planning and to strike before they can put that plan to action. Act before they do. Do you understand, Kohler?"

Mathias set his mouth in a straight line. "Yes, sir."

"By using this information against them, we could save a lot of time. Save a lot of lives." He paused, "Do you see now the importance of this assignment I gave you, Kohler?"

"Yes, sir..."

the silence that followed was so long and heavy that Mathias could practically feel the weight of it on his shoulders. Finally, the boss said, "You better. Now, get back to work. And I don't want to see your face in here until you've got the information that I want, clear?"

"Yes, sir." Mathias bowed stiffly then quickly left without a word. The moment he was out, his tense shoulders relaxed and he lost his stiffness. However, a hand suddenly clamped on his shoulder and a voice said, "Still haven't got the information? What, have you been procrastinating?"

The Dane scowled at the German smirking at him. He brushed off Gilbert's hand from his shoulder. "You know, it's rude to eavesdrop on other people's conversations."

Gilbert's smirk widened. "Oh I wasn't eavesdropping. The boss allowed me to listen in." Mathias could feel a retort forming on his tongue but he suppressed it. Instead, he frowned then shrugged and turned around to leave. Now really wasn't the time to pick a fight with Gilbert. But just as he turned, he bumped into someone standing right behind him. Someone wearing a navy blue military uniform. Someone much taller than him.

Mathias blinked and quickly jumped back, realizing with a skipped heartbeat who he had just bumped into.

The man who stood in front of him had dark blond hair and cold blue eyes. A frown so deep that it could have looked like he was born with it was on his face and it was almost scary.

"W'tch wh're y're g'ing." He muttered with a thick accent Mathias couldn't quite place.

"B-Berwald..." Mathias said, tensing up again. He laughed nervously. "H-hey, welcome back, buddy! I-I didn't know you arrived from...wherever you went to." The Dane chuckled nervously again and scratched the back of his neck. Berwald stared coldly back at him before saying, "W'tch y'rself." Mathias blinked at him. "Huh...?" But the Swede had already strode past him and had entered the boss' office without even knocking.

Gilbert smirked. "You better get going back to work, Kohler. Don't want the big nasty boss scolding you again, right?"

Mathias scowled at him. "Shut up, Beilschmidt." He turned and walked off. Not toward the dungeon.

But towards the large double doors that led outside the camp.

* * *

Emil slung his bag over his shoulder and looked at himself in the mirror.

With the cloak and the gray clothes, he was sure to not draw too much attention to himself, as was his objective. He sighed and fiddled with the flap of his bag. He felt both nervous and excited about this.

Nervous because of what might happen when Tino or the boss found out that he was gone. Much more when they found out _where _he had gone. Emil couldn't even begin to imagine what they'd say, or what they'd do.

And excited because he was going to do this for his brother. He was going out there to rescue his brother. No one else was going to do it anyway, so why not him?

Sighing again, he slowly made for the door, feeling a slight heaviness in his heart. He then realized that the heaviness was because he was thinking of Kaoru. That boy...who knows what he was going to do when he finds out where Emil had gone.

His hand on the doorknob, Emil began to rethink his decision. Doing rash things like this wasn't going to go unpunished. The boss sure as hell wouldn't be happy about this and neither will anybody who was with the boss. But Emil could find no other way to rescue his brother.

Sighing again, Emil walked back to his bunk and rummaged under his bed before pulling out a small box. Opening it, he searched inside until he found a small pad of paper and a pen. Squinting so he could see what he was writing in the dark, he sat there scribbling a note. Finally, he folded up the paper and placed it on top of his pillow.

He looked around at the shadowy sleeping forms of the other recruits. They were so ignorant. So unaware of what awaited them when they would finally make it to the battlefield. The others always talked excitedly about the time when they would finally be allowed to fight for real. They would boast and even make bets on how many enemies they'd kill and were overall, quite enthusiastic and confident about everything.

But they didn't know.

They had no idea of the horrors that awaited them on the battlefield. Had absolutely no idea how it felt like to stand there surrounded by enemy soldiers and watching your other comrades die.

You never truly can know pain until you experience it.

Emil walked slowly and soundlessly to the door. He turned the knob and it swung open. The sounds of crickets chirping met his ears and a cool night breeze blew in. He looked up at the midnight sky and at the large pearly moon hanging high in the sky.

Then before he could regret it, he stepped out of the dorm and closed the door behind him.

* * *

**Short update before I go to sleep ^^**

**I'm really sorry if this chapter sounds rushed or too fast and I'm sorry if I don't update that fast D:! But anyways, review please :3**

**~Anon~**


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